Monday, June 27, 2011

Valentijn de Hingh, Lea T and Nomi Ruiz are three exceptionally beautiful and talented emerging models who you can expect to see a lot more of in the future. Lea T, de Hingh and Ruiz have captivated the fashion industry with their visceral beauty and for the courage and conviction that they demonstrate in dealing with the prejudice and sitgma faced by many in the transgender community. The three models represent a more inclusive standard of beauty within the modelling industry whilst also acting as pioneers for the transgender community through their increased visibility in and on the covers of mainstream magazines and on catwalks around the world.

Valentijn de Hingh began modelling in 2007 at age seventeen in Amsterdam and was swiftly whisked off to Paris to walk for the likes of Martin Margiela and Comme des Garcons. de Hingh's initial foray into modelling ended abruptly when she was deemed to be to tall, at 186 cm, to have a serious career as a model. de Hingh who had always been keenly interested in fashion opted instead for a career behind the scenes as an assistant booker for Paparazzi Model Management. It was in 2010, when the fashion industry was abuzz over the success of transgender model Lea T, that de Hingh decided to relaunch her modelling career.

Within months, de Hingh was shooting in New York with Patrick Demarchelier and Katie Grand for Love magazine and has since appeared in Candy magazine lensed by Benjamin Alexander Huseby. de Hingh currently resides in Amsterdam where she is a student of Literature Science and hopes to one day to become involved in fashion journalism. Vogue Italia has de Hingh firmly in it's sights, having recently profiled her as a face to watch on vogue.it

Transgender Brooklyn singer Nomi Ruiz has been plucked from relative obscurity by Thierry Mugler head designer Nicola Formichetti to be his muse. Ruiz who is the lead singer of the band Jessica 6, appears in the campaign film for Formichetti's latest Mugler menswear collection and also has an upcoming editorial in V Magazine lensed by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. Armed with sublime Latino looks and a smokin' hot bod, Ruiz looks set to put the sizzle back into modelling.

Brazilian model Lea T began her career as an assistant and fit model for Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy. Lea rose to prominence when Tisci selected her as one of the faces to front his Fall/Winter 2010 campaign shot by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott. Lea agreed to appear in the campaign on the proviso that her transgender status be fully disclosed in media interviews. Speaking with the New York Times, Lea explains that "When you are a transexual, you look for your future, and you can't see it. I thought this would be a nice message for another tranny: 'Look, we can be the same as other boys and girls.' It's small, but it makes you feel that you have a little chance. Maybe a transexual will open a magazine and think: 'That's cool. We can be whatever we want.' That's why I did the Givenchy campaign."

Tisci is unabashed in his admiration of Lea in an interview for WWD; "She's a true goddess. She has always been very feminine - super fragile, very aristocratic." Appearances in Vogue Paris, Lurve Magazine, Interview, Hercules, V Magazine, and on the cover of Love Magazine alongside Kate Moss cemented Lea's status as a model with true credibility. Currently ranked at number 42 on the models.com list of Top 50 Models, Lea's celebrity status is likely to implode following an appearance this year on the Oprah Winfrey show, detailing her inspirational life story.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Swiss newcomer Julia Saner has been making serious forays in the modelling world since her impressive debut at the Spring/Summer 2011 shows in Milan and Paris where she logged a total of 21 shows. Proving that she is here for the long-haul, Saner had an equally stellar Fall/Winter 2011 season appearing in a staggering 47 shows.

Saner was discovered in 2009 when she competed in and won the Elite Look of the Year competition. What differentiates Saner however from the relentless influx of newcomers, is her presence and versatile appeal which hark back to the days of the supermodels of the nineties. Saner possesses an impossibly gorgeous face in the classic sense and an equally athletic, powerhouse physique.

Industry insiders are unanimous in their enthusiasm for Saner with appearances in US Vogue, Vogue Italia and W Magazine shot by Mario Testino, Steven Meisel and photographic duo Knoepfel & Indlekofer. Saner's appeal translates seamlessly into campaign dollars with blue chip campaigns for Valentino and Mulberry lensed by David Sims and Tim Walker respectively. With Saner no gimmicks are required. What you have simply is an astoundingly beautiful girl with just the right mix of wholesomeness and va-va-voom to appeal to both high fashion and commercial end clients.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Before the emergence of Doutzen Kroes, Lara Stone, Daphne Groeneveld et al, the Netherland's was duly represented by supermodel Karen Mulder. Mulder was discovered in 1985 at the age of fifteen year when a friend sent in pictures of her to the Elite Agency's reknowned Elite Model Look competition. Mulder placed second and was swiftly signed onto Elite's books. Standing at 180 cm with honey blonde tresses and classically beautiful features, Mulder quickly ascended the ranks of the modelling ladder working for high-profile clients like Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace and Calvin Klein. Mulder came to represent the epitome of the classic blonde however with a refined European elegance and sophistication that was missing amongst her American counterparts.

US Harpers Bazaar - March 1994
Photographer - Patrick Demarchelier

US Vogue - March 1991
Photographer - Patrick Demarchelier

US Vogue - Unknown
Photographer - Helmut Newton

US Harpers Bazaar - September 1994
Photographer - Wayne Maser

US Vogue - June 1991
Photographer - Marc Hispard

British Vogue - Unknown
Photographer - Mikael Jansson

US Vogue - April 1991
Photographer - Irving Penn

British Vogue - April 1991
Photographer - Peter Lindberg

Mulder became a regular fixture within the pages and on the covers of high fashion publications like British Vogue, Paris Vogue and American Vogue, and was photographed habitually by influential photographers of the day; Arthur Elgort, Patrick Demarchelier, Peter Lindberg, Francesco Scavullo, Helmut Newton and Irving Penn. By 1991, Mulder had hit her stride professionally, landing multi-million dollar contracts with Guess, Calvin Klein and Chanel cosmetics. Mulder formed part of an exclusive group of supermodels during the nineties including Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer and Tatjana Patitz, appearing together on the cover of the 100th Anniversary issue of American Vogue shot by Patrick Demarchelier.

During the latter part of her career, Mulder capitalised on her wholesome good looks by appearing in the coveted Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and became a Victoria's Secret staple model. Mulder retreated from modelling in 2000 and has gone on record as saying that "From the beginning I hated being photographed. For me, it was just an assumed role, and in the end, I didn't really know who I was as a person. Everybody was saying to me, 'Hi, you're fantastic.' But inside, I felt worse from day to day." Mulder's life post-modelling has since been characterised by personal and emotional issues which have been widely documented in the international press.

Supermodels of the Nineties
US Vogue - April 1992
Photographer - Patrick Demarchelier